Island



- (No Model.)

J. HARRINGTON. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 485,542. Patented Nov. 1, 1892i..

- m whom f 1' E norms pzrzns co. Puma-Lima, WASHINGTON v c JOHNHARRINGTON, OF COVENTRY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WVALTER H. DURFEE, OFPROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 485,542, datedNovember 1, 1892.

Application filed December 16, 1891. Serial No. 415,217- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HARRINGTON, of Coventry, county of Warwick,England, have invented an Improvement in Means and Apparatus for theProduction of Musical Sounds, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to means and apparatus for the production ofmusical sounds 'of that class wherein a suspended metallic tube isadapted to be struck by a hammer, the vibration ofthe metal of the tubecaused by the blow producing a musical sound. In apparatus of this classthe pitch of the sound produced by the tube when struck by a hammer andset in vibration depends upon the quantity of metal in the tube and isunaffected by the column of air contained within the tube.

The object of this invention is to improve the tone produced by thevibrations of the tube when struck by the hammer without materiallyaltering its pitch, and with this object in view I have discovered byexperiment that the quality of the tone, which depends upon thecharacter of the vibrations of the metal of the tube, may be greatlyimproved by stiffening or solidifying the tube at one or more points, aswill be hereinafter described.

Figure I of the drawings represents a tube embodying this invention, theends of the tube being shown in section to illustrate one manner ofstiffening; Fig. 2, an end view of the tube shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3an end view of a tube, showing a modified form of stiffening bar orplug.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a metallic tube suspended at ornear one of its ends by a preferably non-metallic connection b, the saidtube suspended in this manner when struck by a suitable hammer being setin vibration, the vibrations of the metal of the tube giving forth amusical sound, the tone of the sound depending upon the quantity ofmetal in the tube, and which is set in vibration irrespective of thequantity or column of air within the tube, which, so far as the toneproduced is concerned, has nothing whatever to do with the soundproduced.

In accordance with this invention the tube is stiffened or solidified atone or more points to affect and change the character of the vibrationsof the metal of the tube to thereby improve the tone, the stiffening inthe present instance being effected by the introduction of one or morestiffening devices a, which may extend from side to side of the tube andbe held in place in. any suitable manner. The stiffening devices may beapplied at any suitable points along the tube, according to the qualityof the tone it is desired to produce with that particular tube. Theshape of the stiffening devices may be varied without departing fromthis invention, the gist of which lies in stiffening or solidifying'thetube at one or more points to so affect the vibration of the metal ofthe tube as to produce the improved quality of tone desired.

In Fig. 3 the stiffening device (1 is represented as inserted at the endof the tube instead of through the sides, as in Fig. 1, the stiffeningdevice in Fig. 3 being represented as completely filling the tube, orthe stiffening device may have portions removed at various points, asindicated by dotted lines, to produce desired results.

To produce the clearest and fullest tones, the hammer blow will bestruck upon the end of the stiflening device 0 or upon the surface ofthe tube at a point where it is stiffened; but whether struck at suchpoint or elsewhere the tone produced by the vibration of the tube ismuch more full and much less harsh than the tone produced by a similartube not stiffened in the manner described. The devices employed tostiffen the tube in no manner support the same.

In apparatus of this class the sound is produced solely by vibrations ofthe metal composing the tube, which vibrations are set up by the hammerblow. The tone of the sound produced depends upon the quantity of metalin the tube, the greater the quantity of metal the flatter will be thetone produced; In stiffening a tube of known pitch in accordance withthis invention the pitch of the tone produced by that tube afterstiffening is flattened just so much as the quantity of metal in thestiffening deviceincreases the quantityof the metalin the tube, therebynecessitating the shortening or otherwise reducing the quantity of metal in the tube to an extent to compensate for the additional metalsupplied by the stiffening device or devices. Further than this, thestiffening devices do not affect the pitch of the tone producedt'. 6., astiffening device applied at the middle of the length of the tube doesnot flatten or otherwise change the pitch of the tone produced any morethan the same device applied at either end of the tube, the quantity ofmetal added being the same in either case. The column of air within thetube does not enter into this present invention nor affect materiallythe tone produced; otherwise the stiffening device at the center of thetube would afiect the pitch more than the same device applied at the endof the tube.

I claim In a musical sounding apparatus of the class described, asuspended tube adapted to be struck by a hammer and caused to Vibrate toproduce by its vibration a musical sound of acertain pitch, combinedwith one or more stiffening devices in said tube between its point ofsuspension and its end to affect the vibrations of the metal of the tubeand the quality of the tone produced by such vibrations, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HARRINGTON.

\Vitnesses:

LAFAYETTE I-I. DETRIESE, EDMUND J. lWIoFFAT.

